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| "Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone. The best reward is to get there surrounded by winners. The more winners you can bring with you - whether they're employees, customers, shareholders, or readers - the more gratifying the victory." Howard Schultz, and Doris Jones Yang, Pour Your Heart Into It (New York: Hyperion, 1997), 7. "The key is heart. I pour my heart into every cup of coffee, and so do my partners at Starbucks. When customers sense that, they respond in kind. If you pour your heart into your work, or into any worthy enterprise, you can achieve dreams others may think impossible. That's what makes life rewarding." Schultz, 8. "The best coffees are all arabicas, Jerry explained, especially those grown high in the mountains. The cheap robusta coffees used in supermarket blends cannot be subjected to the dark roasting process, which will just burn them. But the finest arabicas can withstand the heat, and the darker the beans are roasted, the fuller the flavor." Ibid., 34-35. Second, you don't just give the customers what they ask for. If you offer them something they're not accustomed to, something so far superior that it takes a while to develop their palates, you can create a sense of discovery and excitement and loyalty that will bond them to you. It may take longer, but if you have a great product, you can educate your customers to like it rather than kowtowing to mass-market appeal." Ibid., 35 |